Hotel shortages should not be a problem at the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo says on Thursday that large investments are being made in the sector and there will be more than enough hotel rooms to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of visitors.
A lack of accommodations has been one of the main concerns of World Cup and Olympic organizers. The 2016 Rio organizing committee has acknowledged since the bid stage that Rio's shortage of hotel rooms was its main weakness.
The minister says the private sector is making significant investments in the hotel industry in Brazil, and that French group Accor will alone be investing $2.5 billion in new hotels through 2015. Incentives are aimed to spark private investment in new hotels.
Rebelo reiterated that overall preparations for the World Cup and Olympics are on schedule.
